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Definition:
The name anabaptist derives from Greek terms for re-baptism. It was a applied to a
variety of extreme and revolutionary groups during the Reformation of the 16th century
who questioned the validity of infant baptism. Groups today which trace their roots
back to the Anabaptists include the Amish and the Mennonites.

Although the term Anabaptist was used negatively and the groups had a variety of
goals, all were generally dedicated to returning to a "simple faith" which they
believed to be more like what Jesus actually prescribed. The first such
congregation was organized by Felix Manz and Conrad Grebel in Zollikon,
Switzerland in 1525 and became known as the "Swiss Brethren." Many Anabaptist
groups adopted the name "brethren" in an effort to distinguish them from people
who became Christian simply because they were born in a Christian society.

These early Anabaptists were heavily influenced by the ideas of the Protestant
reformer Ulrigh Zwingli, but they objected to his perceived subservience to secular
authorities and they grew impatient in their desire to institute more radical measures
to change Christian practices. Zwingli debated a number of the early leaders, but
without managing to persuade them to change - so, they were ordered by the
Zurich town council to change or leave.

Other Anbaptist groups were later established around Germany, for example in Moravia
by Jacob Hutter. Anabaptists often regarded their leaders as divinely inspired
prophets, sent by God to bring back to them the truth faith and true Christian
beliefs. Because this could lead to near-absolute submission to the authority of some
leaders, problems resulted later on.

A principle characteristic of anabaptist groups was the rejection of infant baptism,
which was normal in the Catholic Church, and the insistence that only willing adults
should or could be justifiably baptized. This was because infants could not make a
conscious profession of Christian faith, whereas adults could. Early on adults were
simply baptized by a sprinkling of water, but later this was changed to full immersion
in water, just like it is described in the New Testament.

At the time, such rebaptism as an adult was a crime punishable by death. One popular
method of execution was drowning, seen as ironically appropriate because of the
reformers' interest in baptizing with water. Manz himself was became of the first
martyrs by being drowned on the orders of the Zurich town council. He was not,
however, the last. Some estimates place the number of martyrs at around 50,000 by
1535, and it may be that other Christians killed more Anabaptists than Romans killed
Christians during their 300 years of persecutions.

Because the Anabaptists were viciously persecuted wherever they were and often had to
flee their homes, many came to regard the baptism rite not simply as an initiation
into the Christian faith, but also as an initiation into Christian suffering. The
persecution only backfired, however, because it served to increase the spread of their
ideas through more towns and cities. Thus, the harder the authorities pushed, the more
this faith was able to spread and attract new converts.

Partially as a result of their persecution and deaths at the hands of the
authorities, these groups were generally pacifistic, refusing to harm others.
What is also interesting is that they rejected the close cooperation which
existed between church and state during this era - Anabaptists were very
consciously cutting themselves off from the rest of society.

Unlike other Protestant groups, the Anabaptists were not interested in "reforming" the
current church organization. Instead, they sought to recreate the church along the
lines of what they thought it originally looked like. This church, for them, was
simply the community of the redeemed which should separate itself from the state.
Because of this, and because of their insistence that membership in the church was
something which can only be achieved through an informed and personal profession of
faith, Anabaptists opposed the use of the state to enforce any Christian principles, even
their own.

But if Anabaptists were pacifists and eschewed all violence, why were they
treated so violently by others? Anabaptists regarded themselves as citizens of
the "Kingdom of God" first and citizens of civil society second. They refused to
take oaths and refused to recognize the authority of the state. Anabaptists were radical
egalitarians - everyone in the group was completely equal, poor and rich, men and
women. This posed a fundamental challenge to the nature and harmony of medieval
society - something completely unacceptable to the secular and religious
authorities of Europe.

Some Anabaptists went even further than preaching egalitarianism in principle or
forming a small commune. A number believed that the Day of Judgment was close at
hand - a belief which was continually reinforced by the persecution they
suffered. Melchior Hoffman (1495-1543) was a Luther pastor who not only believed
that the Day of Judgment was coming, but that it would happen in 1534 when he
went to Strassburg and imprisoned. Despite the fact that he went to Stassburg in
order to fulfill the prophecy and he did land in prison, nothing happened.

Even more radical Anabaptists gathered in the city of Münster between 1533
and 1555. Here, influenced by the teachings of Jan Matthys (a follower of
Hoffman) and Jan Bockelson, they instituted what they labeled "New Jerusalem."
They created a dictatorship and a communistic theocracy which Matthys lead
through regular revelations from God.

Aside from the predictable executions of critics, these revelations also told
Matthys to impose a new form of polygyny on the population because there was an
excess of women and a dearth of men (many were killed by the authorities).
Matthys himself took fifteen wives. The city was besieged and in June 1535, the
opposing armies entered. Women and children were permitted to flee, but the men
were all slaughtered - thousands of them. Leaders like Bockelson were captured
and tortured to death.

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Common Misspellings: none

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